Two days into free agency — nearly 66 hours, to be exact — and the agent for LeBron James, the man who had been charged by his high-profile client to handle all free agency negotiations with prospective teams, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul, had been mysteriously quiet.

Until now.

The noise surrounding the game's greatest player grew with all the speed of one of his vintage fast breaks on Thursday, when it was revealed that teams hoping to land the biggest fish in the free agent market spent recent days meeting with Cleveland-based Paul in his city to make their respective pitches.

Two people with knowledge of the situation said the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks were among those teams. ESPN.com, which first reported the revelation, indicated that the Houston Rockets were also among the group. The Los Angeles Lakers scrambled to join the Lure LeBron party on Wednesday, when general manager Mitch Kupchak and Lakers chief marketing officer Tim Harris flew to Cleveland and met with Paul on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.

The coming days will determine if this story is about to swing, if all those signs that James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were going to all re-sign in Miami are no more. But this much is clear: The longer Heat President Pat Riley continues to shoot free agency air-balls in his latest attempt to revamp the roster, the greater the odds that James might head for the door.

VIDEO: What Riley must do to save Heat

Heat President Pat Riley may have his biggest challenge yet this offseason.

The Heat were hoping to land Kyle Lowry, but he has already agreed to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Another reported target, center Marcin Gortat, has agreed to stay with the Washington Wizards. The long-shot target who could likely get this whole Heat deal done, Carmelo Anthony, was finishing his five-team recruiting tour in Los Angeles on Thursday and the Heat were not known to be among that group.

Someone, anyone? This Heat roster — which includes only Norris Cole at the moment — must improve quickly before the starry-eyed suitors who are coming so hard for James get a chance to speak to the man himself. As USA TODAY Sports first reported June 29, James' preferred plan included Paul doing the talk in the initial stages before circling back with James to decide what would come next.

That moment appears to be drawing closer, especially considering James is returning from an island vacation with his family soon and all this career-altering business will be a priority to discuss. Could James pull off the surprise and be intrigued by Phoenix? The Suns had extra face time recently with Paul because his other top client, point guard Eric Bledsoe, is a restricted free agent who could be part of their Suns super team.

Might he truly think about heading back to his home state again, forgetting all those memories about his unceremonious exit from Cleveland in the summer of 2010? Will he join Dwight Howard and James Harden in Houston, or the Dirk Nowitzki-Monta Ellis-Tyson Chandler group in Dallas? The Rockets, it should be noted, are known to be laser-focused on the prospect of landing fellow free agent Carmelo Anthony at the moment. A person with knowledge of Houston's thinking expressed very little confidence that the Rockets were legitimately being considered. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation.

Still, It all seemed a little more possible on Thursday night. And rest assured, this noise won't be going away anytime soon.

Taking a look back at LeBron James' life, from high school superstar to four-time NBA MVP.

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

1999-2000 Season

FRESHMAN YEAR

Begins high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, leading the varsity team to an undefeated record and Division III state title as a freshman.

2000-2001 Season

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SOPHOMORE YEAR

Led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a second consecutive Division III state title and became the first sophomore ever chosen for USA TODAY All-USA First Team.

2001-2002 Season

Sports Illustrated

JUNIOR YEAR

Became first high school player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the first junior to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year.

2002-2003 Season

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SENIOR YEAR

Led St. Vincent-St. Mary to its third state title in four years, averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals a game as a senior and becoming the only three-time USA TODAY All-USA First Team player.

Summer 2003

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POST-HIGH SCHOOL

Won MVP awards at the McDonald's High School All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic and the Jordan Capital Classic.

June 23, 2003

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NBA DRAFT

Declared for the NBA draft and was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the second high school player picked No. 1 after Kwame Brown in 2001.

2003-2004 Season

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Won the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Summer 2004

ATHENS OLYMPICS

Named to the disappointing bronze medalist U.S. Olympic team, where his attitude toward sitting on the bench under coach Larry Brown was seen as disrespectful.

January 19, 2005

TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Recorded his first triple-double on January 19, 2005.

2004-2005 Season

ALL-STAR

Selected for the NBA All-Star Game for first time.

February 19, 2006

ALL-STAR MVP

Became youngest-ever All-Star Game MVP at 21 years, 51 days old.

July 8, 2006

BIG MONEY

Signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension with Cavaliers.

2007 Playoffs

FINALS BOUND

Reached his first NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, who were swept by Spurs. To make it there, James put up an all-time great postseason performance (scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the game-winner) in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals vs. the Detroit Pistons.

2007-2008 Season

PLAYOFFS DISAPPOINTMENT

Named All-Star Game MVP for the second time but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics.

Summer 2008

BEIJING OLYMPICS

Won gold with Team USA at the Beijing Olympics, averaging 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists a game during the undefeated run.

2008-2009 Season

MVP

Named NBA MVP for the first time, becoming the first Cavaliers player to do so.

2008-2009 Season

MORE POSTSEASON DISAPPOINTMENT

Lost in the Eastern Conference finals to the Orlando Magic and left the court without shaking opponents' hands.

2009-2010 Season

SECOND MVP

Won his second MVP award but again lost in the second round to the Celtics.

July 8, 2010

THE DECISION

Became an unrestricted free agent and staged a TV special, "The Decision," to announce signing with the Miami Heat, where he joined friends and fellow Olympians Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

2010-2011 Season

THE BIG 3

Advanced to the NBA Finals and lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the Big 3's first season together.

2011-2012 Season

FINALLY, A RING

Named NBA MVP for a third time and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, earning his first championship ring and Finals MVP.

Summer 2012

LONDON OLYMPICS

Took home a second consecutive Olympic gold medal, at the London Games, and recorded the first triple-double in U.S. Olympic history.

2012-2013 Season

MVP NO. 4, RING NO. 2

Won his fourth MVP award, then beat the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in a memorable NBA Finals for his second Finals MVP and championship.

March 3, 2014

CAREER RECORD

Scored a career-high 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats.

2013-2014 Season

NO THREE-PEAT

Earned a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, where the Heat lost to the Spurs in five games despite strong efforts from James.

June 24, 2014

FREE AGENCY

Informed the Heat that he would opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.

July 11, 2014

COMING HOME

After a free agency frenzy, James announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers via a letter in Sports Illustrated.